Editing Civil War Philadelphia (section)

== Home Front ==

The war transformed daily life in Philadelphia. Women entered the workforce in unprecedented numbers, filling positions in factories, offices, and hospitals vacated by men who had enlisted. The Sanitary Fairs held to raise money for soldier relief became major civic events, generating significant funds while also providing opportunities for women to demonstrate organizational and administrative capabilities. Prices rose as demand outstripped supply, creating hardships for working-class families even as factory owners and merchants prospered from war contracts. The city's population grew as workers migrated to fill industrial jobs, accelerating demographic changes already underway before the war.<ref name="gallman"/>

Political divisions persisted throughout the conflict. While Philadelphia generally supported the Union cause, significant Democratic opposition criticized the Lincoln administration's prosecution of the war and particularly the Emancipation Proclamation. The 1863 conscription act provoked resistance, though Philadelphia avoided the large-scale draft riots that devastated New York. The election of 1864, in which Lincoln faced the Democrat George McClellan, divided the city, with support for each candidate reflecting class, ethnic, and neighborhood loyalties. The assassination of Lincoln in April 1865, just days after Lee's surrender, shocked the city; his funeral train passed through Philadelphia en route to burial in Springfield, drawing enormous crowds of mourners.<ref name="weigley"/>